


It's You

by jbsullivan17



Series: Don't Let Me Go [3]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate universe modern, Bellarke, Bellarke Secret Santa, Christmas, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Secret Santa, Social Media, Social Media AU, Tinder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 06:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8655058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jbsullivan17/pseuds/jbsullivan17
Summary: "Octavia and I signed you up on Tinder, I have control over it. You have many interested ladies. I swiped right on some gorgeous brunettes, you’re welcome.”“Clarke!” he spat some chewed pieces landed on the table but luckily didn’t fly far enough to get onto Clarke’s plate.“What? If you don’t like them, you don’t have to date them and if anything, it could be a one-time hook up, girls on Tinder have low standards.”“Maybe I should set you up on it, Finn, Lexa, Niylah…”“Niylah was not a bad choice no matter what you say. It just wasn't lasting,” Clarke said, slightly annoyed now.“You’re seriously in control of my Tinder account?”Or the one where they sign each other up on Tinder to get them over their ex's.





	

**Author's Note:**

> _Oh, Tinder, how have the twenty-somethings gotten any without you?_
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> Un-beta'd, unedited. This might be a mess.

Clarke has watched Bellamy get his heart ripped out of his chest for as long as she could remember. Probably since before they were friends even. So when Gina moved across the country, leaving Bellamy in a heartbroken heap that turned him into a raging Tyrannosaurus on a warpath that will fight every and anyone that dared get in his path. That is except for Clarke, maybe because they always disagreed or because he knows that she won't tolerate any of it. She won't.

She hates seeing him fight with Miller and Octavia, hates that he does sometimes snap at her, blaming their close friendship on women leaving him. Roma, Echo, and now Gina, and maybe she was for the first two, maybe they were jealous that Bellamy was the “dad” of their group, taking care of everyone when they needed it and was it really Clarke’s fault that she got too drunk and wound up at Dax’s apartment, not remembering how she exactly got there but that he didn't do anything to her before she called Bellamy to pick her up and take her home, unknowingly ruining a date with Roma. Or when she got the flu from a patient when she's spent that one particularly dreadful year trying to please her mother and going to med school, getting the flu, for the first time in her life, a month in and called Bellamy for a survival kit and he dropped everything, pulled his pants on and left a naked Echo in his bed to get everything she'd need to get better. Honestly, if Clarke knew what she'd interrupted, she would have told him to finish and shower but no, Bellamy stopped having sex with Echo and went out and bought Clarke soup and plugged her laptop in to charge, giving her the username and password to his Netflix account, knowing she didn't have enough time to watch movies on the daily so she didn't have an account.

None of that was her fault, they couldn't blame Clarke for that, but Clarke can blame Bellamy for not showing up to lunch for the third Saturday in a row. It's a tradition with them, regardless of whomever they'd captured in their beds the night before at the bar with their friends, they met at Dropship diner for lunch every Saturday except for extraneous circumstances where someone is sick or idiotically got themselves shot chasing down some thug while patrolling, cough, Bellamy, cough.

Sighing, Clarke called his phone.

“Yes, Princess?” he answered.  He's alive, that's good.

“It's Saturday. Noon. Where are you?”

“My bed.”

Clarke grimaced, hating when he said that. “Alone?”

“Yeah, my girlfriend dumped me and moved across the country.”

“That was four weeks ago and I would have accepted that answer _that_ Saturday, not all three since and today. Get your ass here.”

“No, I'm content.”

“Blake, I swear you are going to be the death of me. Get here, now or I'm going there with the biggest vat of syrup they have and dumping the entire thing on you while you're in bed!”

“That'd be messy.”

“Bellamy,” she said in her warning voice.

“Fine, I'll be there in twenty. Order my usual please.”

“I know,” Clarke hung up the phone, annoyed before calling Charlotte over to order their meals.

Bellamy arrived and Clarke glared at him with her arms crossed.

“Looking good, Princess,” he smirked, taking a sip of her black coffee and grimaced. “How can you drink that?”

“Well, I'm not an asshole that ignores their plans with their friend for four weeks.”

Bellamy sighs, “I'm sorry, okay? I just—Gina fucked me up.”

“I know, I listened to you all night, called out of work for you, telling them it was the Thai you had for dinner. I sat there listening to every grueling detail of your relationship with her, trying to figure out what went wrong when in reality, it wasn't even you. She moved for work, her job told her to.”

“I know I heard her speech.”

“So then why are you ignoring me?”

“I’m avoiding you setting me up with people, I already have O for that.”

“I don’t—you met Gina through Raven.”

“Exactly, I don’t need either of your help, Raven is the best at it so far.”

“I’m taking offense,” Clarke said flatly as Charlotte placed their food on the table.

“Hi, Bellamy, glad to see you’re back.”

“I was never away, just avoiding, Charlotte. You’d be lucky if you have a friend that cares about you as much as Clarke apparently cares about me.”

“You’ve been hurting her. You don’t deserve coffee,” Charlotte smirked, he’s taught her too much.

“You cannot deny a dying man’s last wish.”

“Unfortunately, you’re not,” Clarke deadpanned. “I do need a refill, if you don’t mind, Charlotte. Thank you,” she smiled at the young girl, who then left to bring the coffee pot with fresh coffee to them. Bellamy’s known her since his first day on the job as a cop, he was reporting to a domestic dispute call, finding out that it was Charlotte’s parents and she was thrown in the foster care system, just like Octavia was when her and Bellamy’s mom died.

He was a college student on scholarship and working when he didn’t have class and barely slept, Clarke being Clarke, watching her RA work so hard, she pitied him somewhat, but never told a soul as much, just finished papers for him after he’d passed out, probably dreaming that he finished the paper. She knew almost all of it, except the history, that she didn’t know. Not at the level that Bellamy was, she would read a paper he wrote about science or English, the required classes you have to take for every major, and they’d be distant and cold, like he didn’t understand Newton’s law of gravity or Chaucer’s _Canterbury Tales_ , regardless of the historical relevance. Clarke still didn’t know if he knew what she’d done for him back then, and swore to herself that she’d never bring it up.

“You never know, Clarke, we can all die, not knowing that these are our last words uttered to each other,” Bellamy said, forking a whole mouthful of pancakes in his mouth.

“God, you’re morbid. By the way, Octavia and I signed you up on Tinder, I have control over it. You have many interested ladies. I swiped right on some gorgeous brunettes, you’re welcome.”

“Clarke!” he spat some chewed pieces landed on the table but luckily didn’t fly far enough to get onto Clarke’s plate.

“What? If you don’t like them, you don’t have to date them and if anything, it could be a one-time hook up, girls on Tinder have low standards.”

“Maybe I should set you up on it, Finn, Lexa, Niylah…”

“Niylah was not a bad choice no matter what you say.”

“You’re seriously in control of my Tinder account?”

“I would not subject those not so innocent girls to your sister, no one deserves to be grilled that badly.”

Bellamy chuckled. “So how are you going to play it? Don’t I get a look at the girls?”

“I will give you the details before I send you a picture but only after they agree to the date. No point in getting your hopes up if she doesn’t want to meet.”

“Okay, that I’ll appreciate, I think.”

“Good.”

They ate, discussed the past month, staying a little longer at the diner than Charlotte was used to, getting them five coffee refills before stating her concern on not falling asleep until three in the morning, but little did Charlotte know about how Clarke and Bellamy spend their Saturday nights, she wouldn’t be worried at all.

Over the course of the next week, Clarke sent Bellamy descriptions of women she'd found on the site. All brunette because of course that's his type, if you line up all the girls he's slept with, a good ninety-five percent have brown hair. She picked out girls she thought he'd like based on the girls she knew about. Long hair, college, a couple years younger than him.  He'd say no most of the time and the few he said yes to didn't respond, which Clarke thought was weird because Bellamy was hot, platonically speaking. So when she was frustrated for him Friday night, she decided to let him look at the app on her phone with her while they were out with their friends for weekly drinks.

“Oh, my God, that's Harper!” Clarke squealed quietly into Bellamy’s shoulder. Yes, the bar was loud and they were in the corner booth farthest away from the bar so the bartender in question couldn't hear them but still! Clarke never thought she'd see someone they actually knew on the app.

“Swiping left,” Bellamy said, about to do it when Clarke grabbed his arm, yanking it away.

“You won't even give her a chance?”

“She and I have had multiple conversations and she's Monty's ex, there's bro code and she's not my type.”

“Right, your type, I forgot.”

She did, she tends to forget about his type when she's drunk, forgets that he’d never feel the same for her as he feelings she tried hiding from him. She forgot about Roma and Echo and Gina and all the one nighters he’s had. Forgot about her past and that she's Octavia's best friend too and the hot older brother was a line not to be crossed according to girl code.

“What about you?” Bellamy said suddenly, taking Clarke from her thoughts.

Clarke sat up straight, hating that she let herself use his shoulder as a headrest. “What about me?”

“We're looking for girls for me but what about people for you?”

“I'm happy.”

“And I'm not?”

“You're on the rebound.”

Bellamy grimaced, “And that means that I can't be happy?”

“I didn't say that.”

Bellamy placed her phone on the table and pulled out his phone doing something Clarke couldn't see.

“What are you doing?” she asked impatiently.

“Signing you up on Tinder.”

Clarke scrambled for his phone and of course his longer arms held it just out of her reach but her face a mere inch from his, wrapping his arm around her waist to steady her and impede her from obtaining his phone.

“You can do it for me but I can't do it for you?”

Clarke looked down into Bellamy’s playful yet earnest eyes, she can't lie to them. “What if I'm already into someone?” she admitted before cursing her loose drunk tongue as she pulled away, sinking back into her spot on the pleather booth seat.

Bellamy scowled, “Who?”

“Work,” she lied, looking at her vodka soda.

“Oh, God. Another artist! I thought you learned your lesson from Finn.”

She downed the rest of her drink. “Not an artist. I need another drink, you want another beer?”

“No, I'm heading out soon. I have a lunch date that I can't miss.”

“You've gotten hammered on a Friday night and still showed up on time,” Clarke countered, getting up to get a drink.

“I'm being responsible.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at Mr. Responsibility and headed to the bar where Octavia and Lincoln were waiting on drinks.

“You two look cozy!” Octavia called over the music and loud conversations.

“Tinder,” Clarke countered.

“He hates it, you know? Practically yelled at me Tuesday after the eighth profile you sent him.”

“He's a big boy and can yell at me himself.”

“I don't understand why you just won't tell him!” Lincoln interjected and the two girls looked at him like he was crazy.

“Tell him what?” Octavia grimaced.

“Clarke has a huge crush on Bellamy, it's rather obvious.”

Clarke slams her head down against the bar with a loud thunk that she thought was just in her head, not feeling the physical pain, just the heartache of another person knowing. Two other people. The two closest to the both of them.

“Since when?” Octavia demanded and Clarke felt Lincoln’s shrug as he lifted her head to examine the damage she'd just likely caused on herself.

“Freshman year,” Clarke scowled at Lincoln who was way too close to her face for comfort. She knows the lighting is terrible to see what she'd done to her forehead exactly but he's trying, she'll give him that.

“What?” Octavia exclaimed.

“Shush! My god is nothing a secret anymore? He doesn't know and I'm not telling him. Nor am I ever telling you how it came into production. That I am taking to my grave!”

“Where it will be promptly written on your tombstone. ‘Here lies Clarke Griffin. She cares so much for others she wrote her RA’s term papers for him while he was passed out, near drooling on his laptop. She saved him and his antique of a laptop,’” Clarke heard behind her and was frozen. Lincoln’s smirk backing away from her and said something about it being just a bump but she didn't hear, too embarrassed about who just spoke and how much he'd actually heard.

“You really think I didn't know, Princess? Aside from catching you a couple times, too tired to comprehend or care what was happening, I conceded. Then I really knew it wasn't me who wrote the paper when I read the word ripsnorter to describe Caesar. I didn't know what that even meant but then less than a week later you called me a ripsnorter for not taking your roommate predicament more seriously.”

“You were an ass. Why didn't you tell me you knew?”

“Probably the same reason you never told me. Also, I aced all those papers so telling anyone would not have been good for either of us.”

“Well, you're welcome.”

“You just never touched my history papers.”

“Yeah, because I suck.”

There was something different in Bellamy’s expression then, something darker, twistier, Clarke couldn't quite put her finger on it before it changed into his classic smirk. “Prove it,” he said sinfully, giving Clarke hope where she knew she shouldn't. They're just friends.

Friends that go on Tinder for each other. That's not weird at all.

Clarke grimaced and downed her drink that she never realized was there. _Thank you, Harper_ , Clarke thought, placing ten dollars to cover the drink and a tip before getting off the bar stool she definitely stole from someone. “I'm…uh, I’m going home. See you guys Wednesday?” she asked Octavia and Lincoln, turning to Bellamy when they nodded. “Tomorrow?” she gulped.

“Eleven-thirty, as always,” he smirked, a glint in his eyes.

Clarke practically ran out of the bar to get away from him—her embarrassment—before realizing that she left her coat in the booth. Holding her ground, she refused to go back in the bar to get it, refusing to acknowledge that anything was wrong. She's allowed to be secretly in love with her best friend, it's a thing that happens all the time. It's natural.

Clarke's hand was trembling as she attempted to get her apartment door unlocked. She should have gotten her jacket. She knew she should have but she's stubborn.

“Jesus, let me,” she heard a familiar voice say softly from the floor.

Ontari was getting up from her seat across from Clarke’s door.

“Shit, are you okay?” Clarke asked worried, Ontari wouldn't be there if everything was okay but still, Clarke had to asked.

“I've never seen him this mad before.”

Clarke nodded, handing Ontari the keys to unlock the apartment. “Hot chocolate?”

“Stronger.”

“You're seventeen, I wish I could. What happened? And I'm tipsy so slow and low, please.”

Clarke has known Ontari since her mother died. Nia, the CEO of Ice Network Television, the mother of Roan, took her best friend's daughter in without question. That was ten years ago when Clarke was fifteen and Ontari was seven. Clarke knew what the fundraisers and parties did to a young girl's psyche, so she tried being a mentor to Ontari where Roan was bullying her. Clarke knew that Nia’s death three years ago, leaving Ontari in Roan’s care would have been difficult for the both of them. Roan was handed the keys to INT and was trying to build the company, raising a teenage girl wasn't in his plans. Clarke was a senior in college with an apartment just off campus that she shared with Raven and Octavia, she offered Ontari the couch whenever Roan’s temper was too much or he was just being too much of an asshole for anyone to bear. Promising the girl safety but also letting her guardian know she was okay.

“He was yelling about John Murphy. Murphy and I are friends, he doesn't trust me at the pent house by myself so he has me go to the Network after school. You know Murphy, Bellamy is friends with him, its not like he'd be interested in someone a decade younger than him.”

Clarke scoffed, “I wouldn't put it past him.”

“Roan was just—I know he doesn't want me around, I get it. He has less than a year then I'm in college and he never has to see me again but he's not making it easy to stay.”

“Look, Roan respects when you stand up for yourself. He made events miserable for me too until I told him to shove where the sun don’t shine. Well, don't do that exactly but stand up to him.”

“You didn't have to see him everyday.”

“True,” Clarke grimaced, grabbing a blanket and pillow from the closet. “Get some sleep and I’ll tell him you're okay.”

“He doesn't know where you live, right?”

“No.”

“Good. Why are you home so early?”

“Bellamy was being an ass. Hey, you picked a good day to swing by, he's buying breakfast tomorrow.”

Ontari smirked, “Glad to know nothing has changed.”

Clarke hugged the girl. “Sleep. We’ll have brunch with Bellamy and I'll take you back to Roan and rip him a new asshole for you.”

“We will do it together.”

“That's my girl,” Clarke smiled proudly.

***

Clarke and Ontari walked the few blocks to the diner, finding Bellamy already in their booth, on his phone.

“Tinder?” Clarke asked cheekily, taking her seat across from him, scooting over for Ontari.

Bellamy’s face lit up momentarily as he saw the teenage girl. “Ontari, hey. Everything okay?”

“Hey, Bellamy. Yeah, just needed a night away from Roan.”

“Don't we all,” he smirked, making the girl blush. He has that way with people.

“So Tinder?” she asked him.

“Yeah, I signed Clarke up. My phone doesn't stop getting notifications now. It's distracting.” Bellamy turned to Clarke, “You're annoyingly attractive!”

“Uh, thank you?” Clarke said nervously, he's never… was that a real compliment?

“Um, I didn't know you would be here, Ontari, so I ordered for us already.”

“It's okay, I'm easy. Bagel with cream cheese and coffee.”

Bellamy shrugged, looking over to Clarke with concern.

“Um, find anyone for me?” she asked when Charlotte came over to pour two cups of coffee for her and Ontari.

“It's been one night, Princess. It'll take at least a fortnight to find someone even close to resembling Prince Charming.”

“I don’t want Prince Charming,” she sighed.

Ontari laughs at them. “My God, this is the most awkward thing I've ever witnessed!”

They both looked at her and grimaced. Charlotte froze. _Does she know?_ Clarke wondered.

“What can I get you?” Charlotte asked her, trying to diffuse the building tension.

“Bagel with cream cheese. Thanks.”

Charlotte nodded, looking between Clarke and Bellamy nervously before leaving.

“She okay?” Clarke asked Bellamy about Charlotte.

“Dad,” he said simply.

“Yikes. What’d you guys do after I left?”

“Everyone kinda left slowly. I took Raven and Harper and Jasper home. I seriously don't know how Harper is a bartender when she drinks just as much as the customers.”

“They buy her drinks! Are you kidding?” Bellamy chuckled.

“Perks of being a sexy woman,”

“You’d know, wouldn’t you. You didn’t pay for a single drink last night, did you?”

Clarke smirked, “The dumbasses even paid for yours.”

“Well then, I am in their debt.”

“My debt, my ass sashayed, I flirted and batted my eyes, it was a lot of work, I don’t think lunch will be enough payback. It hasn’t been. You owe me a lot.”

“And how would you like your repayment?”

“I’ll think of something, but I’m holding you to it.”

“Of course you are, Princess.”

“Still with the ‘princess’ shit?” Ontari asked, snapping them out of their horrendous flirting.

“Always, a tiger can’t change their stripes.”

“Oh,” Clarke smirked. “Now I’m a tiger.”

“Stripes. Always,” Bellamy smirked as their food arrived.

Bellamy and Ontari talked college and majors and scholarships to save her inheritance for when she really needs it. Clarke loves that Bellamy was willing to take anyone under his wing and help them with whatever they need. Clarke loved that about him, loved that he cared, yeah, he’s an ass a majority of the time but he cared. A lot. Only his friends knew just how much.

 “What?” he asked an hour later after they dropped Ontari back off at Roan’s who was actually nice for once, but that probably has to do with Bellamy being there, he put on his protective older brother mask that Clarke hadn’t seen since the first year of Octavia and Lincoln dating and Clarke hated how much she missed it and how much it turned her on.

“You helped her. More than I could have, thank you.”

“She’s like a little sister to you. I remember when her adoptive mom died and she spent like four months in that little apartment with you, O, and Raven. You protected her.”

“I’m not going to pretend to know what she’s been through. She lost her mom and her second mom within seven years and has that uncaring asshole looking after her. She needs to know that someone has her back.”

“And Clarke Griffin is one hell of an ally.”

“And you ruined the nice moment. You owe me coffee.”

“For all the free drinks?”

“For ruining the moment with your terrible sarcasm, I’d like it to improve but I’m afraid of what more time with Miller would look like on you.”

Bellamy smirked, “Sundays, Tuesdays and Thurdays, I think he’s sick of me.”

“Woah! Miller gets three days? I’m feeling jipped.”

“Friday nights and Saturdays aren’t good enough for you?”

“Not when Friday nights are for everyone!”

“Relax, princess, I spend a good eighty percent of the night bickering with you.”

“Eighty percent? What if I want one hundred?” Clarke said, still on the thought process of arguing before realizing what she’d said and needed to back peddle and quickly. “I mean, I don’t… not one hun—uh, not that you’re not—someone might…fuck.”

“You’re saying that you don’t want to fuck me?” Bellamy asked and Clarke looked over at him for a moment, not knowing what to do with the expression on his face, but kept walking next to him, watching where she walked.

“Yep.”

“Good thing I knew that already, huh?”

“You do?”

“You practically told your whole apartment building that you’re permanently celibate, the night after Lexa left with Costia. I was carrying you home and your neighbor almost shanked me because he heard your incessant yelling, that was right in my ear, about how ‘men are vile and disgusting creatures with serpent-like phalluses’.”

“That sounds like me, but vaginas aren’t much better, either, they look like—“

Bellamy promptly covered Clarke’s mouth, “For the love of all that is sacred, do _not_ finish that sentence and ruin them for me.”

“What’s your favorite part about them?” Clarke asked but it came out as “Muff hour chart mount mem?” with Bellamy’s hand still covering her mouth, which he promptly moved away.

“Sorry,” he wiped his hand on his jeans. “What?”

Clarke asked again and Bellamy froze, causing her to stop and look back at him. “What?”

“We don’t talk about this stuff.”

“Why not?”

“Because we don’t. We never have, it’s weird.”

“As weird as vetting Tinder prospects?”

“That’s being a good friend, this is way too much information!”

“But you told Gina and Echo and Roma?”

“I think it’s fairly obvious that I like vaginas, Clarke, why do you want to know the details?”

Clarke thought about it for a moment, “I—I don’t.”

“Then don’t ask these questions.”

“Just because I had a drunken rant one night about how gross penises are, doesn’t mean that I won’t—“

“Jesus Christ, we don’t have to know everything about each other!”

“—suck dick. Jezz, I can’t even finish a sentence. It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure I still have the logistics down.”

Bellamy groaned and started walking again at a much quicker pace and Clarke had to run after him. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“How?” she chuckled.

“I haven’t had sex in a month, Clarke, and you’re talking about sex which in my mind—literally every guy’s mind—equates to you wanting to have sex with me, even though I know that’s not true, I still imagine it and now it’s you sucking my dick, rather poorly from your description but it’s still there.”

“That’s a horrible thought.”

“For my best friend, maybe.”

“Poor Miller.”

“Referring to you, Princess.”

“Oh, how? You can think of me while you’re—you know—you just shouldn’t tell me about it. Ever.”

“Yeah, but now I’m going to, you see, payback is a bitch.”

“You get pleasure and I get grossed out? I don’t see how that’s fair.”

“You want pleasure?” Bellamy asked, and Clarke swore that there was hope in his tone, but it didn’t register on his face.

 _From you? Hell yes, pull out all the stops. Let me know what you want, le me give you what you need,_ Clarke’s conscious screamed but she said, “What human being doesn’t want pleasure, aside from the masochists, though I assume they get pleasure out of the pain.”

“Clarke, breathe,” Bellamy chuckled. “I have to go, but I’ll see you Friday.”

“What about Wednesday?”

“What?”

“Date, a Tinder girl, she asked and I was going to tell you. Date?”

“Uh, sure, text me where and when and her picture.”

“Okay, I’ll see you Friday.”

Clarke’s heart sank for three different reasons as Bellamy walked away, the first being that she was hopelessly in love with him. The second, because she doesn’t have a girl lined up for Wednesday, just kind of freaked out about asking to spend more time with him and lastly, because she just lied to her best friend.

Calling Raven, she headed back towards their apartment building.

“What’s cookin’ good lookin’?” she said answering the phone.

Clarke groaned, “I just lied to Bellamy and I don’t know what to do.”

“Telling him you’re madly in love with him doesn’t count as lying.”

“Raven, I’m being serious!”

“So am I!”

“Can I come over? And do you have cookie dough?”

“Yes and is that even a real question?”

“Fifteen minutes and I’m buying tequila.”

“Don’t forget the limes! Wick, you gotta go!” The brunette said over the receiver just before hanging up the phone.

***

“You told him he has a date on Wednesday without having an actual woman lined up?” Raven exclaimed, downing a shot of vodka.

“Yeah, because asking him to hang out more sounded needy and like I wanted him.”

“But you do want him.”

“He doesn't know that! How does everyone know? Am I that obvious?”

“To everyone but Bellamy.”

“What the hell do I do?”

Make up a girl, make up a time and place and meet him there saying that she cancelled and you figured why waste a good reservation?”

“Really? Isn't that lying?”

“Uh, yeah, but now this is a real date with Bellamy, not just brunch on Saturday. Who has brunch on Saturday?”

“It's not allowed to be called that. It's lunch.”

“He's stupid. You are stupid. I get the whole not losing your best friend thing but you're miserable. Even if he doesn't feel the same way, at least you won't be suffering alone.”

“Really? I think it'll make everything ten times more awkward.”

“Awkward? You and Bellamy aren't awkward, just oblivious.”

Clarke shrugged Raven’s words off and decided to take her up on her advice. That night she called her second favorite restaurant in the city and made a reservation, Bellamy knew about her favorite and laughed at her about it and would know instantly that it was Clarke that arranged the whole date for him and, well, her. Then sent him the restaurant and a random girl’s picture that she screenshot from Tinder.

**Bellamy (7:23): She's cute**

Clarke knew that the girl was his type, of course she was, she was beautiful and brunette and Clarke knew he would find her attractive because Clarke did but Clarke had _feelings_ for Bellamy, which she felt was more important.

***

The next day Octavia asked her to come over after work. She knocked on the door of her apartment that she shared with her boyfriend/fiancé (depending on the day and O’s mood). The door swung open and Lincoln stood in the doorway.

“Hey,” Clarke smiled and stepped inside.

“O’s in the bathroom.”

“Okay? She'll be like a minute, I can wait since she asked—“

“Clarke, go to the bathroom. She's been in there all day freaking out, I don't know what's going on.”

Clarke grimaced, seeing the look on Lincoln's face and went to the bathroom and opened the door. Octavia sat on the floor staring at a box on the counter. A pregnancy test.

“Have you taken it?”

Octavia shook her head, tiny jolts that seemed too rough for anyone’s neck.

“Well, before freaking out about the unknown, maybe make it known.”

“Says the girl in love with my brother and won't admit it.”

“I—have. Take it then freak out. Come on, O, I'd do it for you if it worked like that, but it doesn't so I can't. But I can unwrap it and hand it to you.”

“We haven't talked about it. What if he doesn't—“

“You two are practically engaged, he loves you. Regardless of what this tells you, that will never change.”

Octavia nodded, an odd sight, Octavia Blake, afraid to step up to a challenge.

Clarke helped Octavia off the floor and Octavia pulled her pajama pants down to sit on the toilet while Clarke unwrapped the stick to hand to her best friend.

Turning away, Clarke could still hear the deed being done before they waited the three minutes before they find out.

“Can I do anything?” Lincoln called through the door, sounding nervous.

“We're good, Lincoln, thank you!” Clarke called with thirty second left on the timer.

The alarm blared and Octavia sighed, turning into a deep laugh. “Oh thank God! I don't know if I could have done it!”

“You're okay?” Clarke asked, a little concerned about Octavia laughing about not being pregnant.

“Yes! Wonderful!” she smiled, passing Clarke and stormed out of the bathroom. When Clarke followed her a little dazed and confused, saw the couple making out on the couch.

“What the—did you at least tell him?” Clarke yelled.

Octavia pulled away from Lincoln, “I thought I was pregnant, I'm not.”

“And you're happy?” Lincoln inquired, holding Octavia’s elbows.

“Yes and no, I think eventually I want your babies. Of course I do, but I don't think it's now.”

Lincoln just grimaced at the younger Blake sibling.

“Okay, this is painful to watch. I’m going on a date with Bellamy Wednesday,” Clarke said, trying to take their minds off of the pregnancy debacle that will definitely turn into a fight if Clarke didn’t try something, literally anything to defuse the tension.

“Wait, what?” Octavia’s head snapped to stare at Clarke like she was crazy.

“Okay, he doesn’t actually know it’s me.”

“What?”

“This whole Tinder thing that we did, it kind of totally sucks for me. So yesterday I brought up Wednesday and freaked out using it as an excuse, but there isn’t a girl, just me.”

“So you lied to him?”

“For the greater good.”

“Your good? His good? Who is this good for? You’re lying to him, Clarke.”

“I—I know, I just, I wasn’t thinking. Me thinking on my feet isn’t always the best thing that could happen that was the first thing I thought of and Raven actually said that I should go in the nonexistent girl’s place. You have to swear not to tell him!”

“I hate you guys!”

Clarke smirked, “You don’t!”

“Clarke,” Lincoln said, giving her a look. She failed.

Clarke grimaced and hugged the two goodbye. “She loves you,” she reminded Lincoln before leaving.

***

Bellamy hated first dates, always hated first dates, but this was especially weird. The girl he likes, the girl he’s always liked, was the one that set it up. He checked out the restaurant and it was nice, a serious first date but also laid back. It was nice, he’ll probably like it even if he didn’t like the girl.

He wore a tie. Bellamy hates ties but he wore it anyway, good impressions and what not. He hated being early but hated people that showed up at the exact time they’re meant to be there so he’s five minutes early.

He stood inside the door, not knowing what name she used on the reservation. But then he saw the waves of blonde hair walk in and he smirked, what’s she doing here?

“Clarke?”

She was stunning, a tight blue dress hugged her every curve and all Bellamy wanted to do was touch her, but she’s his friend. She smiled widely when she saw him, “She cancelled and I was just getting home so I decided not to waste the reservation.”

“Oh, she was cute,” he shrugged, and the girl was, but he wasn’t into her.

“Yeah, this okay?”

“Of course, Clarke.”

Clarke smiled and went to the hostess. “Reservation for Blake.”

“Blake?”

“I told her to make it so you’d both be able to get it, I swear I told you.”

Bellamy nodded.

“Are O and Lincoln still fighting?” she asked after they ordered wine in a booth for two.

“Uh, yeah, they won’t tell me why though.”

“Oh, so I can’t tell you.”

“You’d better!”

“I’m her friend, I can’t!”

“I thought we were friends.”

“We are, Bellamy, but I’m not going to tell you. I swear, if he’s hurting her or anything like that, you’re my first call, but he isn’t. She said something the wrong way and it hurt him.”

“Lincoln?”

“Yes, just because he’s a mammoth of a man doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings.”

“He’s not hurting her?”

“No, Bellamy. He loves her.”

“Okay.”

After that they talked about everything, her upcoming birthday, the next exhibit her studio is showing. The case he’s working, what little he could tell anyone. That Murphy finally asked Emori out. They discussed everything, Bellamy was relaxed and kind of forgot how much he liked Clarke because of how easy it was to just talk to her. But the whole evening, the light, airy feeling he’d had disappeared as he stood with Clarke in front of her door as she searched for her key. All the pieces clicking into place and he couldn’t help but smile.

But Clarke spoke first: “Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“Clarke,” he whispered, as she hadn’t pulled away. He hoped she never would. “You should have just asked me out,” the words were rough and rushed but he’d said them and he gave her a moment before his lips crashed down against hers and wrapping a hand around her waist while the other cupped her jaw.

Clarke, momentarily stunned, reanimated and kissed Bellamy back harder, yanking on his hips to somehow bring them even closer, something clothes made impossible. Before she broke away.

“I—Bellamy, I have to say something, I have to say it because I don’t know what you’re thinking and I need you to know so this can stop before it starts and—fuck, I want it to start. I’m all in, this with you is what I want above all else. And if that’s not where you’re—“

“I’ve been in love with you for six years, princess, I’m in.”

Clarke huffed, but it was the cutest thing Bellamy’s ever seen. “Six years?”

“Yeah, ever since I caught you writing my essays, but you were so stubborn and opinioned that fighting with you was the only choice I had to be around you when I was awake.”

“You could have asked me out.”

“You were way too opinionated and judgmental, I was intimidated.”

“The great Bellamy Blake intimidated by Clarke Griffin, that’s one for the record books.”

“And that is why I didn’t,” Bellamy pulled away, but Clarke just followed him, holding tight to his hips.

“Do you want to come inside?” she asked.

“Are we going to do this properly or like we’ve been idiots for six years?”

“We deserve both,” Clarke smirked mischievously and Bellamy laughed.

“Then yes, I’ll go inside.”

“You go inside, you’re getting naked.”

“You’d better be too.”

She shook her head, “I’ve been dying to draw you and it doesn’t exactly work from memory with you, you’re complex.”

“I don’t mind doing that but could it be after?”

***

They decided to keep their relationship to themselves for a little bit, have some fun with the Tinder jokes and everyone calling them idiots. Now that they’re in on the joke it’s truly funny. But nothing lasts, two hours at the bar on Friday with everyone, Harper, actually having a Friday off, pulled Clarke aside to congratulated her on finally getting Bellamy.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been watching you two for years behind the bar, tonight is different, which only has one meaning so about damn time!”

“Don’t tell anyone, we kind of want to keep it for us right now.”

“My lips are sealed. But do you know what’s going on with Octavia and Lincoln?”

“That I still have to figure out. I know the beginning, but it’s been a week, it’s starting to freak me out.”

“You and Bellamy didn’t talk for four months, and look at you now.”

“But we weren’t practically engaged when we fought.”

“Find out, it’s concerning.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Clarke smirked and walked over to the depressing looking Blake sister. “Hey, O.”

“Hey,” she said, her voice hoarse, like she’s been crying for days.

“Talk to me, O.”

“He was going to propose, did you know that?”

Clarke sighed, “We suspected, this doesn’t have anything to do with Monday, right?”

“He thinks that because I wasn’t ready for a baby, it means that I’m not ready to marry him. I want to marry him, I just—a baby, Clarke. He’s not listening to me, he won’t listen and accept that _right now_ isn’t the time for a baby. Hell, you and Bellamy can’t even get your shit together enough to see that you’re—how am I supposed to have a baby when my brother and best friend can barely keep their own problems to themselves? Always busting in and yelling… _yelling,_ Clarke! You can’t have yelling around a baby, their ears are sensitive!”

“I am aware, pre-med drop-out.”

“He just doesn’t see that it has nothing to do with him, he is the one thing I’m certain about, it’s the timing of the pregnancy that worries me.”

“Hey, it’ll all work out, okay? You will marry Lincoln, Bellamy and I will get out shit together…maybe, but you will marry Lincoln and you will have his babies. I know it.”

“And you’ll knock some sense into him?”

Clarke looked over at where she’d last seen Lincoln and Bellamy was talking to him with the protective older brother look on his face that Clarke loved but remembered that none of their friends knew about them, aside from Harper. “Or Bellamy is right now.”

Octavia snapped her head around to look behind her at the two boys in a very intense conversation, “Oh, fuck.”

“Relax, have a drink, ill interfere. Talk to Raven!” she said grabbin the ponytailed girl’s arm.

“What's up?” Raven asked, slightly slurred.

“Distract her,” Clarke said, getting up to go to the boys.

“It doesn't work when you say it right in front of me,” Octavia called after Clarke, the words getting lost under the loud music.

“You two need to simmer down,” Clarke said when she got to Bellamy and Lincoln.

“I want to know why my sister is crying in the corner,” Bellamy demanded.

“It's between them, okay?”

“But you know?”

“I was there and I'm not telling you.”

“Clarke.”

“Bellamy,” she said in the mock tone.

“I will find out, Princess.”

“You will, but not right now, I have to throw some logic and perspective at Lincoln, so will you please get me another drink?” she asked him sweetly, knowing it was overkill but also that it would work.

“Another?”

“You're walking me home?”

He rolled his eyes and left so Clarke turned to Lincoln. “what would you have done if the rest was positive?”

“I would have been happy.”

“Yeah, I know, she would have been happy too but she's not pregnant and this scare made her realize that this isn't the right time for her, she had a whole day of freaking out and thinking over everything before she actually took the test. She thought of every scenario and probability and knew that none of them were good. Propose to her like you planned, get married in June like she wants. Then after a year, get pregnant and have a baby. She wasn't raised how we were, with safety and protection from all the shit the world can throw at you. She was in it from day one with Bellamy’s attempt at protection. Look at it from her perspective and see the security that she’s craving, don't let her feel like her mother with a baby daddy and no husband.”

“Well, shit, princess, you sure know how to make a man feel bad. I feel bad for Bellamy.”

“There's no—“

“I know. Idiots. But thank you.”

“I'm serious, go propose right now. She might slap you, but she’ll say yes.”

Lincoln sighed and walked over to Octavia and Raven when Bellamy came over to her with a vodka cranberry. “What's going on?”

“Lincoln's going to propose.”

“Right now?” he asked, placing his hand on the small of Clarke's back.

“Yep,” Clarke smiled, trying hard not to look back at him and let their friends in on their little secret.

“I don't think it's going to work, she's pretty upset.”

Clarke scoffed, “She's crying because he did it. He made up for the argument and made her year with one question.”

“So if I piss you off to the point where you don't talk to me for a week, all I have to do is propose?”

“We aren't them and you'd better be more creative.”

“You want to marry me?” Bellamy asked, Clarke heard the happiness in his tone.

“What are you two whispering about?” Monty and Jasper asked before Clarke could answer.

“Lincoln just proposed,” she told them instead with a smile.

Jasper’s attention snapped to the couple in the corner making out. “Really? I thought they were fighting.”

“All is well with the happy couple,” Bellamy droned, happy for his sister but not happy that Lincoln made her cry all week.

“And you two?” Jasper asked pointedly.

“Us two?” Clarke asked.

“Yeah, you guys good?” he gave them a look as though it was obvious.

“Fine and dandy.”

“No news?” Monty added.

“Nope, everything’s the same.”

After that night it took everyone two months to figure it out, it was Christmas Eve and the Blake siblings were having their annual Secret Santa party and if anyone knew who someone else had, the whole thing was cancelled like Christmas of 2014 all because Raven didn't know what to get Lincoln aside from Octavia, which called for her getting outrageously drunk and complained to Clarke, Monty and Jasper about it and none of them were going to tell either Blake but Bellamy came out of the bathroom and heard the whole thing and it was not pretty!

But Clarke, remembering their first night together so vividly, knew exactly what to get Bellamy, her Secret Santa recipient, well, really what she got herself for him but had to put something in the box so why the hell not.

Everyone went around, Monty got Octavia new Kickboxing gloves, Octavia got Raven a new pair of coveralls, Raven got Jasper two dime bags making everyone laugh and shake their heads, knowing Jasper all too well.  Jasper got Lincoln a gift certificate to a tattoo studio. And Lincoln got Monty a cactus, lame, but Monty did go on a five minute rant before Octavia realized that Clarke and Bellamy still didn't open their gifts which were to each other. “Monty, that's very interesting but I'm more curious as to why those two still have unopened gifts,” she stated pointing at them.

“That is too great!” Raven laughed.

“Just let them do it,” Lincoln sighed, looking annoyed at the gushing girls.

Clarke handed Bellamy his gift. “You first,” she chuckled.

“Are you sure? Mine’s pretty epic!”

“Mine is great, open it!”

 “Okay! Pushy!” Bellamy complained as he tore the Christmas tree wrapping paper. He opened the box slowly and peeked inside and slammed it closed. “You did not!”

“Someone had to and you certainly weren't going to when you're the one that did it!”

“Okay, I was excited, it wasn't the intention!”

“Intentional or not, you should have gotten me a new one in replacement.”

“So because it's yours, you got yourself a present but gave it to me? How does that make sense?”

“You're the one that _appreciated_ it so much that you ripped it.”

“I am so lost,” Jasper stage whispered to Monty, snapping Bellamy and Clarke out of their secret disagreement to find the whole group looking at them in confusion.

“What is it?” Octavia pressed.

Bellamy couldn't control his laughter so Clarke said, “You don't want to know.”

“Fine then open yours.”

Clarke looked over at the laughing Bellamy, waiting for him to sober up and give her her present. “Bellamy!”

Bellamy squared his shoulders and cleared his throat to hand over her present.

The box was smaller than the one she gave him as she unwrapped it she realized it was a jewelry box.

“Bellamy, there was price limit.”

“Just open it, Princess!”

Clarke opened the box and her father’s watch was sitting perfectly in the middle. “How—?”

“It's not his, it's the same brand. I—you lost it and I just—“

“It's perfect,” she smiled wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

“I love you,” he whispered into her ear, barely a whisper so only Clarke could hear.

“I really want to kiss you,” she whispered back.

“We had two months, they should know.”

Clarke pulled away and looked at him momentarily before leaning in to press her lips to his and the world around them disappeared. This moment, the moment they tell their friends was far more personal than the last two months together.

It was only a moment, but their friends were going crazy around them. Saying things like “finally” and “about time” as they knew were going to happen.

“Happy two months, babe,” Bellamy joked, pulling Clarke into his side.

“Two months? I'm sick of you already!”

“What?” Octavia exclaimed as everyone else laughed euphorically, happy for them and not even a little furious about them hiding it for a few months.

“I told you she’d go nuts,” Clarke told Bellamy.

“Yeah, and inside she’s ecstatic about it.”

“You bought me my dad’s watch.”

“You bought yourself lingerie.”

“I bought lingerie for you to take off, little did you know that the second half is currently being worn.”

Bellamy groaned, tossing his head back against the couch, “You seductive goddess.”

“You can play with your toy when you get home.”

He smiled like a kid in a candy shop, “God, I love you!”

And with that their friends hounded them about the details and what happened? And Bellamy and Clarke butted into each other’s renditions of the story and how they’re both idiots for not seeing it sooner but happy that it hadn’t happened any other way.

Friends should vet their friend’s prospective Tinder dates more often.

**Author's Note:**

> So this was meant to be a 2,500 word drabble fic but then it just kept going and turned a six hour idea into a four day obsession that drove my family nuts on Thanksgiving because I was ignoring them. It's okay for my cousin to do it at every family function but when I do it once, I'm "rude."
> 
> Also, I've never actually used Tinder, I just know the little things that you can learn by being socially aware and watching the news. I'm working on the chapters of my other fics so look out for them!


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